Hiding in plain sight: The biomolecular identification of pinniped use in medieval manuscripts – MALDI and mtDNA data set

Medieval manuscripts still in their original bindings are rare. Taking
advantage of the diversity of bindings in Cistercian libraries during the
12th and 13th centuries, this study focuses on the biocodicological
analysis of medieval bindings, with particular emphasis on the use of
sealskins. Using innovative methods such as eZooMS and aDNA analysis, this
research identifies the species and origin of the leather used as pinniped
(seal) species. In particular, the collagen-based eZooMS technique
facilitated the classification of seven chemises into the pinniped clade,
although species identification remained elusive, with one exception. aDNA
analysis was instrumental in verifying the origin of the sealskins, with
most samples matching harbour and harp seals and sourced to populations in
Scandinavia, Scotland, and Iceland or Greenland. This supports the notion
of a robust medieval trade network that went well beyond local sourcing,
linking the Cistercians to wider economic circuits that included fur trade
with the Norse. The study highlights the use of an unexpected skin (seal)
from an unexpected source (the northwestern Atlantic). The widespread use
of sealskins in Cistercian libraries during the 12th and 13th centuries
hints at broader trade networks which brought, for example, walrus ivory
from the far north into continental Europe.

仍保留原始装帧的中世纪手抄本极为罕见。本研究依托12至13世纪西多会（Cistercian）图书馆馆藏装帧形式的多样性，聚焦中世纪手抄本装帧的生物装帧学分析，并重点关注海豹皮的使用情况。本研究采用eZooMS、古DNA（aDNA）分析等创新技术，对用作鳍足类（pinniped，即海豹类）皮革的物种及来源进行鉴定。具体而言，基于胶原蛋白的eZooMS技术成功将7件书套归入鳍足类演化支，但除一件特例外，其余样本的物种鉴定仍难以实现。古DNA分析则为确认海豹皮的来源提供了关键支撑：绝大多数样本匹配斑海豹与竖琴海豹，其种群来源地为斯堪的纳维亚、苏格兰、冰岛或格陵兰。这一结果佐证了一个观点：中世纪存在一套成熟的贸易网络，其范围远超本地采购范畴，将西多会与更广阔的经济圈相连——其中便包括与诺斯人（Norse）的毛皮贸易。本研究揭示了一种出人意料的皮革原料——海豹皮，其来源地同样出人意料：西北大西洋海域。12至13世纪期间，西多会图书馆中海豹皮的广泛使用，暗示当时存在更广阔的贸易网络——例如将远北地区的海象牙运抵欧洲大陆的贸易网络。